Students at the Royal Hospital School in Ipswich have been raising awareness of the problems of plastic this festive season by creating a huge Christmas tree with a difference.
The pupils have created their very own plastic tree made from bottles collected from those at the school.
The idea was the brainchild of the school’s eco-committee, which is made up of pupils from across the different year groups.
More than 1,000 bottles were needed to create the tree and were collected by pupils in less than two weeks. Students then had to clean all of the bottles used in the tree before putting them together.
The bottom layer of the tree is made out of buckets while the tree also boasts a topper made out of smaller drinks bottles. Extra festive touches come from paper.
The tree now sits in the school’s dining hall where the whole community can see it.
As well as the tree the eco-committee have also decorated the main school corridor with an underwater-style display which highlights the types of ocean pollution and the impact that it has on the world.
One of the project’s leaders Alasdair Ng said: “I felt that it was a good way to display how much plastic we actually use as a school community in two weeks.”
Fellow project lead Finn Corcoran said: “Plastic is a massive issue for the environment.
“We don’t have a real Christmas tree this year in the school and this is in that place. It’s really caught the eye of the school and opened up everyone’s minds to how much plastic we use and how we use it badly.”
Izod Miller, head of geography and the eco-committee at the school said: “Far too often we underestimate the power of individual actions, we hear cries of ‘what can I do to make a difference?’, ‘how much impact can I really have’?
“This project aims to raise awareness of our need to be more sustainable and the vast amount of single-use plastic in our lives.
“The displays are designed to be a statement, a reminder of the true cost of plastic on our environment and the massive impact a few individuals can have.
“I am immensely proud of the tireless efforts of the eco-committee, especially Finn Corcoran and Alistair Ng and the Design and Technology Department who helped to make the vision a reality.”
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